The brain has long been considered an immunologically privileged site, and the role of immunotherapy in treating intracranial disease has only recently been revived-with preclinical evidence showing that the systemic immune system responds to immunotherapy for intracranial disease, and with clinical evidence demonstrating improved locoregional control and survival compared with historical outcomes when immune-directed therapies are combined with radiation. Pharmaceutical industry-supported multi-institutional drug efficacy studies routinely exclude patients with brain metastases, so current evidence for treatment of brain metastases using stereotactic radiosurgery combined with immunotherapy comes from single-institution studies...

This study evaluated the use of telerehabilitation during the postoperative period for patients who underwent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA). Specifically, this study evaluated the following: (1) patient compliance and adherence to the program, (2) time spent performing physical therapy exercises, (3) the usability of the virtual rehabilitation platform, and (4) clinical outcome scores in a selected primary knee arthroplasty cohort. A total of 157 consecutive patients underwent TKA ( n = 18) or UKA ( n = 139)...

The identification of more effective therapies for brain tumors has been limited in part by the lack of reliable criteria for determining response and progression. Since its introduction in 1990, the MacDonald criteria have been used in neuro-oncology clinical trials to determine response, but they fail to address issues such as pseudoprogression, pseudoresponse, and nonenhancing tumor progression that have arisen with more recent therapies. The Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology (RANO) working group, a multidisciplinary international group consisting of neuro-oncologists, medical oncologists, neuroradiologists, neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists, and neuropsychologists, was formed to improve response assessment and clinical trial endpoints in neuro-oncology...

BACKGROUND: According to the Japanese Esophageal Society (JES) guidelines, early esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) involving the muscularis mucosae (M3) or upper submucosal (SM1) layers are relative indications for endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD). Additional esophagectomy or chemoradiotherapy is recommended for patients with relative indications after evaluation. However, elderly patients (≥ 60 years) with relative indications in China often refuse additional treatment because of the debilitating side effects...

The presence of hypertension in individuals with type 2 diabetes augments the risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this regard, data support that management of hypertension in this high-risk population is a critical risk reduction strategy. In recent years, a number of work groups have redefined hypertension, management strategies, and targets. In this context, there is still considerable discussion on an appropriate target for blood pressure in the diabetic population. However, despite this discussion on target blood pressure, it is widely recognized that there is considerable residual risk for heightened cardiovascular events in the hypertensive, diabetic population despite widespread awareness and treatment...

Unique responses to climate change can occur across intraspecific levels, resulting in individualistic adaptation or movement patterns among populations within a given species. Thus, the need to model potential responses among genetically distinct populations within a species is increasingly recognized. However, predictive models of future distributions are regularly fit at the species level, often because intraspecific variation is unknown or is identified only within limited sample locations. In this study, we considered the role of intraspecific variation to shape the geographic distribution of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), an ecologically and economically important tree species in North America...

RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is a powerful technique to investigate and quantify entire transcriptomes. Recent advances in the field have made it possible to explore the transcriptomes of single cells. However, most widely used RNA-seq protocols fail to provide crucial information regarding transcription start sites. Here we present a protocol, Tn5Prime, that takes advantage of the Tn5 transposase-based Smart-seq2 protocol to create RNA-seq libraries that capture the 5' end of transcripts. The Tn5Prime method dramatically streamlines the 5' capture process and is both cost effective and reliable...

BACKGROUND: Motor cortex stimulation (MCS) is routinely used for the treatment of chronic neuropathic pain but its effect on quality of life remains uncertain. OBEJCTIVE: To systematically review the published literature on MCS and quality of life and report the effects of this therapy in a series of patients prospectively followed in our center. METHODS: The systematic literature review was conducted using the search words "motor cortex stimulation and pain and neurosurgery" and "motor cortex stimulation and pain and quality of life...

In cotton, the formation of fruiting branches affects both plant architecture and fiber yield. Here, we report map-based cloning of the Gossypium barbadense axillary flowering (GbAF) mutation gene, which causes bolls to be borne directly on the main plant stem, and of the G. hirsutum clustered boll (cl1) mutation gene. Both mutant alleles were found to represent point mutations at the Cl1 locus of the corresponding species, and therefore we propose that the GbAF mutation be referred to as cl1b. These Cl1 loci correspond to homologs of tomato SELF-PRUNING (SP), i...

VRE are associated with ∼1300 deaths per year in the USA. Recent literature suggests that daptomycin, a cyclic lipopeptide antibiotic with concentration-dependent bactericidal activity, is the preferred treatment option for VRE bacteraemia, yet the optimal dosing strategy for this indication has not been established. In vitro evidence suggests that higher-than-labelled doses of daptomycin are required to optimally treat VRE bacteraemia and to inhibit the development of resistance. However, concern of dose-dependent toxicities, notably increases in creatine phosphokinase and the development of rhabdomyolysis, are a barrier to initiating high-dose schemes in clinical practice...

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies demonstrated that preconditioning with argon gas provided a marked reduction in inflammation and apoptosis and increased myocardial contractility in the setting of acute myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion (IR). There is substantial evidence that myocardial IR injury following cardioplegic arrest is associated with the enhancement of apoptosis and inflammation, which is considered to play a role in cardiac functional impairment. Therefore, the present study was designed to clarify whether preconditioning with argon gas enhances recovery of cardiac function following cardioplegic arrest...

Objectives: To establish the psychometric properties of the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) in patients with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS), which is characterized by the abrupt onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or restricted eating and at least two additional psychiatric symptoms. Parents of patients with PANS have reported high caregiver burden. However, no validated instrument of burden exists for this population. Methods: Study took place at a community-based PANS clinic where the CBI is administered as part of routine clinical care...

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a common intervention for managing intractable pain. Generally, leads are implanted in a minimally invasive procedure with verbal feedback regarding the location and nature of generated paresthesias by active stimulation; in this way their optimal location can be confirmed. However, lead placement under general anesthesia can have additional benefits. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the outcomes of awake vs asleep lead placement procedures...

BACKGROUND: Cervical facet dislocations are among the most common traumatic spinal injuries. Posterior, anterior, and combined surgical approaches have been described and are widely debated. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate efficacy in anterior-only surgical management for subaxial cervical facet dislocations. METHODS: A consistent surgical algorithm for cervical facet dislocation was applied over a 19-yr period and analyzed retrospectively in adults with acute unilateral or bilateral facet dislocation of the subaxial cervical spine...

Background: Although evidence suggests that larger body size in early life confers lifelong protection from developing breast cancer, few studies have investigated the relationship between body size and breast cancer risk among BRCA mutation carriers. Therefore, we conducted a prospective evaluation of body size and the risk of breast cancer among BRCA mutation carriers. Methods: Current height and body mass index (BMI) at age 18 were determined from baseline questionnaires...

OBJECTIVES: We retrospectively analysed data from non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF) patients who underwent minimally invasive surgical AF ablation at our centre. Our purpose was to explore the atrial endocardial expression of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and thrombomodulin (TM) and their association with rhythm results after the procedure. METHODS: From January 2014 to May 2015, 60 patients underwent minimally invasive surgical AF ablation at our centre. Left atrial appendage samples were obtained during the procedure and immunohistochemistry for endocardial markers including vWF and TM was performed and semi-quantitatively graded...

Inflammation is highly associated with colon carcinogenesis. Epigenetic mechanisms could play an important role in the initiation and progression of colon cancer. Curcumin, a dietary phytochemical, shows promising effects in suppressing colitis-associated colon cancer in AOM-DSS mice. However, the potential epigenetic mechanisms of curcumin in colon cancer remain unknown. In this study, the anti-cancer effect of curcumin in suppressing colon cancer in an 18-week AOM-DSS colon cancer mouse model was confirmed...